Tag: Pickles

What’s a Quickle? A Quickle is a quick pickle for those of us who just “aint got time for that!” These suckers are ready overnight, and that’s plenty long enough to have to wait, in my opinion. I love having a big jar of these around. They are fresh and a little crispy and the perfect thing to go with everything that I like to snack on. Sometimes I just stand at the counter, gazing off into the distance and eating them one by one right out of the jar. Or I’ll stack 3 together, and think “Hey! I made a pickle sandwich!” But I do like them with lots of other things…. sandwiches, boudin, anything rolled up in a tortilla, fried catfish, random slices of lunch-meat… and of course on a slider, as that is the perfect ratio of pickle to burger. Behold:

I like to put a good bit of onions in mine, because something magical happens when you pair cucumbers and onions and a bit of vinegar. But, we are talking about pickles now, so it all starts with some cukes. Kirby, or pickling cucumbers are great if you can find them. Or those funny English cucumbers that are usually wrapped up in plastic work well, too. These will have thinner skins than the regular old slicer cucumbers. Get about 10 of the Kirby ones to make a big jar, or about 6-7 English cucumbers.

The process is pretty simple. Slice them up and put in a big bowl so you can distribute the salt and spices evenly. Add some hot pepper if you like, garlic if you like… whatever! These are your pickles!

You’ll be surprised at first at the small amount of liquid, but trust me, the salt will pull moisture out of the cucumbers and make an amazing brine in no time. Note that these are refrigerator pickles… they are not “canned”, and as such, you should not store them in your Doomsday Prep food dungeon. Please. They will stay delish in the fridge for around 2 weeks. So, go ahead and get your fill before the zombie apocalypse starts. (To prepare for THAT, you will need to learn some proper canning skills. That’s for a different day. Today is all about Quickles. Pay attention.)

Use your hands to mix the cucumbers (and onions, carrots, peppers, garlic as you see fit) and salt and spices in a large bowl. Then put them in a big jar. I like to let this sit for a few hours on the counter first BEFORE adding vinegar. This is to make sure the salt has maximum surface time on all the slices, and can do it’s magic and pull that brine out. After that, you can add the vinegar and put in the fridge – and then give it a little shake whenever you think about it. (Basically, whenever you open the fridge door to see if any new snacks have appeared since the last time you peeked inside.) Let them sit overnight, and by the next day, they are perfection!

I hope you like!

P.S: Just wait until you meet Awesome Sauce (that’s next!) Because Quickles and Awesome Sauce pair so nicely with so many things!!

Instructions

Slice cucumbers, and other veggies, then place into large bowl. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix together to distribute spices evenly. Place in a large jar and let sit at room temperature for a few hours. Add vinegar, gently shake and store in the refrigerator. Give it a shake several more times over the next day. Allow to sit overnight.
These will keep well in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.